How speedy trial rights work

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Crunching the numbers

  • Since 2011, more than 310,000 pregnant women have taken Makena, a drug that the Food and Drug Administration has recommended be taken off the market. A recent study of the drug found no evidence that Makena prevents premature birth as advertised.
  • The Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault mismanaged about $886,000 from the Office on Violence Against Women, a federal office focused on reducing violence against women and improving victim services. About $239,000 of that was spent on travel.
  • An investigation from KXAN in Austin found that 49 doctors had been disciplined in other states but were able to practice in Texas.

New from BigIfTrue.org

You probably know that Americans have a right to a speedy trial, but what exactly does that mean? I broke that down in our latest story about how pandemic delays have impacted trials.

What you should know about speedy trial rights:

  • The bar for a speedy trial violation is really high. To determine if a violation has taken place, courts have to consider the length and reason for the delay and if it negatively impacted the defendant’s case. Defendants also must demand a speedy trial for a delay to be considered unconstitutional.
  • Still, criminal cases can take quite a while to work their way through the court system. The average felony case lasts 256 days from start to finish, according to research from the National Center for State Courts.
  • No courts actually resolve criminal cases in recommended timeframes. That’s based on National Center for State Courts research and standards developed by the center, which recommends courts resolve 90% of their felony caseloads within 180 days.

Read more about how courts can deal with case backlogs and what’s at stake when defendants must wait for justice.

Thank you for reading. You can get in touch with me here at bryant@bigiftrue.org and 405-990-0988.
 
– Mollie Bryant
Founder and editor, BigIfTrue.org